The invention relates to prepaid phones. The operator has a database of accounts handling the credit of the respective phones. The user will be able to use the phone as long as the associated account shows a positive credit level. However the user may recharge the account by phone banking or by buying recharge cards and transferring the associated code to the network operator.
The user has a possibility to check the credit level of his account by calling an interactive voice responder. The voice responder is free of charge and the network operator therefore loses free air time. Experience has shown that this loss will be in the level of one third of the total airtime. In order to get rid of this non-chargeable free air time it has been requested to design a network that transmits a credit update message immediately after the occurrence of a credit affecting event.
An object of the invention is to provide a portable prepaid phone being able to receive a credit update message from a network operator being forwarded upon the occurrence of a credit affecting event, said credit update message contains information about the current account and the credit affecting event causing the message to be sent, and to inform the user about the event.
This purpose is obtained by a portable prepaid phone having a display, input means for inputting information and instructions, a control unit controlling the display in dependence on the operation of the input means, and transceiver means communicating via a wireless network controlled by a network operator, said network operator manages an account for said phone and updates the account upon the occurrence of a credit affecting event, and said network operator forwards a credit update message to portable prepaid phone and said message contains information about the current account and the credit affecting event causing the message to be send to the phone upon the occurrence of a credit affecting event, wherein the transceiver means of the portable prepaid phone receives the credit update message, the control unit decodes the received message in order to identify the content of the credit update message, and control unit initiates the display of the current account in the display, immediately after the termination of the credit update message decoding. Hereby the user will be able to get the information by using a simple SMS transmitted to the phone. First of all bandwidth is saved and secondly phone will be able to store the information.
Preferably the control unit displays the credit information for a predetermined period of timexe2x80x94e.g 3-5 seconds. During this period the control unit may advantageously disable the input means. Advantageously an alert signal may be given by the alert signal means (e.g. a buzzer or a vibrator) in order to inform the user when certain events have occurred.
Preferably the processor stores all credit information received in credit information messages in a log file. This log file may have a limited maximum size, and when this size is reached a new entry will replace the oldest one. The user may be allowed to transfer the content of the log file to e.g. a PC by means of an IR link.